Johnson Emphasizes 'Plenty of Evidence' of Russian Interference in Other Countries' Elections

Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, told his Russian counterpart on Friday that there is 'plenty of evidence' proving Russia's interference in elections in other countries. He added that Russia's attempts to influence last year's Brexit referendum were unsuccessful. According to Reuters, Boris Johnson is the first UK Foreign Secretary to visit Russia in five years and expressed a desire to normalize relations with Moscow, which he described as currently experiencing a 'difficult situation'. However, he clarified that this does not mean that the UK does not have serious concerns about the behavior of the Russian government. Johnson stated, 'We cannot pretend that there are no problems or that we have common positions regarding the situation in Ukraine, the Balkans, or Russia's activities in cyberspace.' He also noted that the UK feels it has a duty to speak out regarding the situation of LGBTQ individuals in Chechnya. Reuters recalled that two Chechen men told the agency in June that they had been tortured for being gay, a claim denied by Chechen officials. Johnson's visit to Moscow comes amid strained relations between the two sides due to disagreements over the Ukraine crisis, the Syrian civil war, and Russia's cyber interventions in European countries' internal affairs. The Russian government denies these allegations. During the meeting between the two foreign ministers, Sergey Lavrov challenged his British counterpart, stating that Johnson had previously said there was no evidence of Russian interference in the Brexit referendum. Johnson, a staunch advocate for Brexit, responded to Lavrov's comments by saying, 'What I meant was that Russian interference has not been successful.' Lavrov accused Johnson of fearing that opposing him would damage his credibility in his own country. In this context, Johnson emphasized that there is ample evidence of Russian interference in elections in Germany, the US, and other countries, adding that he is concerned about Lavrov's credibility. Johnson stated, 'I think it is very important to acknowledge that Russia's actions to interfere in our elections or our referendum, whatever they may be, have not been successful.' In contrast, Lavrov held the British government responsible for the cooling of relations between the two countries and complained about the 'aggressive and insulting' positions of British officials. He also criticized the British government for publicizing the differences between Moscow and London instead of resolving these issues privately. Although much of the joint press conference was spent discussing disagreements and mutual jabs, the foreign ministers of the UK and Russia did agree on smaller issues such as cooperation in the UN Security Council and security agreements for the 2018 World Cup. Nevertheless, Lavrov complained that the UK has not fully cooperated with Russia's national security agency. Before his trip to Moscow, Johnson had told the Sunday Times that 'Russia is a closed, harsh, militaristic, and anti-democratic country,' remarks that angered Russian officials. However, on Friday, when asked about these comments, he backed down, saying he was referring to the former Soviet Union, not modern Russia. As noted by AFP, Johnson's visit to Moscow comes after he previously canceled a planned trip to Russia earlier this spring at the last minute, citing Russia's support for Bashar al-Assad's government as the reason for the cancellation. The UK is also a strong supporter of Western sanctions against Russia, imposed due to Moscow's role in the Ukraine conflict and the annexation of Crimea in 2014.